September, Friday 20, 2024

UN warns that Gaza could experience severe food shortage if the conflict persists


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The United Nations has warned that Gaza is facing the risk of famine if the war between Israel and Hamas continues. According to a UN food security agency, around 500,000 people, or a quarter of households, in Gaza are in "catastrophic conditions". The agency also noted that the entire population of approximately 2.2 million people in the territory is experiencing acute food shortages. Cindy McCain from the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) stated that "No-one in Gaza is safe from starvation" and emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian access and aid to reach Gaza safely. An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, released by the UN body that assesses food security in conflict or disaster-affected areas, highlighted the insufficiency of food and other supplies entering Gaza. Aid delivery is currently only meeting 10% of the territory's needs, despite aid trucks from Egypt and Jordan attempting to bring relief. The UN Security Council is working on a resolution to ensure more aid enters Gaza; a vote, however, has been delayed due to disputes over the wording of the text. The United States has expressed support for the latest draft resolution, which focuses on facilitating aid delivery and involving relevant parties, while not pushing for an immediate end to the fighting. Meanwhile, accusations continue between Hamas and Israel as the fighting persists. On Thursday, Hamas claimed that Israel attacked the Rafah crossing, resulting in the death of four people, including the director of the Kerem Shalom crossing. Talks in Egypt to establish a new truce faced a setback when Hamas rejected the release of some hostages in exchange for a partial ceasefire, demanding that Israel first ends the war. Hamas had captured more than 240 Israeli hostages in October, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, while 110 hostages were released in a previous truce. Furthermore, Hamas declared that over 20,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the ten weeks of conflict.